Let it All Out
by KONSTANTINE23
Summary: If the burden seems to much to bear; remember, the end will justify the pain it took to get us there. oneshot Harry/Astoria, Draco/Hermione


A/N: This story was fun to do because I absolutely love Relient K. Song is "Let it all out" by Relient K and all of the characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except for Alexander Capulet, who I've invented. Please read and review. Seriously, like I actually just wrote this story and I really need some constructive criticism! (And yes this entire story came to me while I was listening to the song, fully formed in scene format).

You know you love me,

xoxo KONSTANTINE

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Let it all out

Get it all out

Rip it out remove it

Don't be alarmed

When the wound begins to bleed

**"Harry Potter and Girlfriend (socialite, Astoria Greengrass) spotted dining in Muggle London's West End Monday Night." **The headline of the gossip column in the Evening Prophet read. The aforementioned Harry Potter himself sat behind his desk at his office at the Ministry of Magic in the Auror department. He had been content to sip his late night coffee and read the newspaper until the headline with his own name and that of his girlfriend of only a few months jumped out at him. He threw the paper down; not wanting to read the rest of the article; partially because he figured he was there and knew how it ended and partially because he really didn't want to know how Parvati Patil, new gossip columnist for the Prophet, thought the night went. It sure couldn't beat the proposal from last week he supposedly gave in Paris or the fact that Astoria was now possibly five months pregnant with Harry Potter's twins, even thought they had only been dating for three. Needless to say he was thoroughly sick of all the publicity he had been getting since last June when he defeated the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Basically he couldn't go anywhere without somebody writing about where he was going, why he could possibly be going there, who he was with and of course his personal favorite, what he was wearing (which in Harry's opinion must have started to get very boring for the readers since he practically wore the same thing every day, basic wizard's robes and a traveling cloak). Ron and Hermione seemed to be getting extra attention too due to their excursion with him last year but sadly, not nearly as much as him. He couldn't really talk about it with them either. As overjoyed as Harry was when they started dating that night in June could only be countered by the disappointment he felt on another night about three months later when Hermione had unceremoniously broken up with Ron, "We fight too much and he'll never grow up!" had been her excuse but Harry knew her better than that and he definitely knew that under all the cool and calm demeanor she seemed to be showing she really didn't believe a word she was saying to him.

It had been about five months since then and of course Hermione had moved on as Harry figured she would seeing as she had to convince herself she was over Ron for good (which if you ask Harry she wasn't and would never be). It had been a shock to say the least when she showed up in his office about a month after her break up with Ron, escorted by none other than Draco Malfoy. Harry wasn't exactly livid upon seeing the Blonde but he wasn't exactly pleased either.

"Are you serious about this?" He asked Hermione as he practically dragged her to an adjoining office so that they couldn't be overheard.

"Very, he's changed Harry I know you noticed that last year and its just, well we've had to spend a lot of time together anyway." School had been reopened to everybody who felt they needed to redo the last year. Hermione of course jumped at the chance to finish her education along with many others who felt they were not properly taught. Draco Malfoy had been among them, nobody quite knew why because he seemed to have been doing well the year before (Head boy and everything), but he did return and because he actually had the grades he retained Head Boy although Hermione immediately replaced Pansy Parkinson as Head Girl.

"We just got to know each other better, I mean with Astoria always being there, she's always been on good terms with Ginny. I know he's a good guy now Harry and I know you can learn to respect him as I do. He respects you if it matters at all." Harry couldn't quite tell Hermione at the time at risk of embarrassment but it actually did. The fact that Malfoy who always seemed to take it upon himself to make sure Harry felt completely worthless was now going so far as to respect him actually made him want to try, for Hermione's sake to get along with the guy. Of course it wasn't that difficult because Hermione was right and he had changed.

Harry and Ron could come and go at Hogwarts whenever they pleased; they had after all saved the Wizarding world. Sometimes Harry would go visit Hermione alone knowing Ron just couldn't bring himself to do it and from those visits he got the whole story of exactly what was going on between Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. Astoria and Draco had been childhood friends, they along with another boy (whom Harry only slightly remembered as being a year older than them) Alexander Capulet has been somewhat of a trio within the Slytherin house. Of course Harry never realized any of this because both Alexander and Astoria were far to nice for Harry to believe they were actually friends with Draco and because he had been somewhat distracted for the past couple of years. Both Alexander and Astoria had become very popular with the other houses because they were extremely kind and ridiculously good-looking. It was as if they and Draco were a new and improved version of Harry, Ron and Hermione, but he would never admit it to himself.

Sometime in Harry's sixth year Astoria and Alexander had started dating to absolutely nobody's surprise but of course to Draco's disappointment as everybody except his two best friends knew he had always had a huge crush on Astoria. Alexander even stayed a year after his seventh to work under Professor McGonagall so that he could be near Astoria. However, all was not a fairytale and a major problem arose due to the fact that Alexander Capulet came from an ancient pureblood line that had until that point never pledged allegiance to anybody. Lord Voldemort would not accept that and couldn't allow the new Capulet who had recently completed school a chance to escape his ranks. It was rumored that Voldemort himself appeared before Alexander telling him it was his time to join the death eaters. Alexander, who had always thought muggles completely equal to wizards point blank refused to join him. Some say he put up a fight and others say he had no chance to, but the fact remained that when the morning came word spread that Alexander Capulet was dead and that his girlfriend Astoria Greengrass was locked away in Draco Malfoy's head boy dormitory refusing to see or speak to anybody but Draco. Although Astoria had broken her silence sometime before the next school year started she had yet to break her attachment to Draco and continued to sleep in his bed every night. Ginny Weasley whom she had been casual friends with throughout her earlier years was one of the first to reach out to her, knowing the pain of loosing somebody because of her brother Fred's death and also because Harry had not come to her yet to renew their relationship. Their bond grew and soon Hermione also became close to Astoria, it was from this friendship that Hermione was finally able to accept Draco. From there the attraction was inevitable and they soon began to casually date.

All of this of course happened five months ago and about two months after that Harry (who was still convinced Ginny was not for him) started dating Astoria blinded by her beauty and amazing sense of adventure he never really realized they possibly weren't meant to be. Which is why on that very night after work when he made his way to Hogwarts, to Draco Malfoy's bedroom (which to Harry's chagrin was still where Astoria chose to spend her nights. He only accepted it because he knew Hermione was there and she would make sure nothing happened between his girlfriend and her boyfriend), he was extremely surprised to see her sitting upon the bed in tears.

Cause we're so scared to find out

What this life's all about

So scared we're going to lose it

Not knowing all along

That's exactly what we need

"ASTORIA!" screamed Harry as he ran to her shocked to see the tissues surrounding her implying that she had been crying much more longer than just before he arrived.

"What's the matter? What's going on?" he said as he carefully put his arm around her bringing her towards him, wishing that his embrace would make all her troubles go away.

"Its nothing, its just I've been thinking about Alexander and I guess my emotions got the best of me, its nothing to worry about, really." She said softly through the tears.

"So that's it, I mean you've been sitting here for what seems like hours balling your eyes out because of Alexander. Northing else?" Harry said in a somewhat annoyed voice. It wasn't that she was crying about Alexander. Harry could completely understand loosing more of his fair share of loved ones in the war but it was more because she seemed to be evading him. She couldn't keep eye contact with him. Every time he would try to lift her head to wipe away her tears she would burrow further into his shoulder as if she just wouldn't let him see her face.

"I'm sorry, I guess it's horrible of me to sit here talking about him when I have you and you're here and I don't mean to upset you."

"Its ok, I'm not upset about that it's just…"

"What?"

"You would tell me if there was something bothering you right? I mean other than Alexander." Harry knew he was probably fighting a loosing battle with this question. It seemed that although they did have a good relationship, they rarely fought; they also rarely talked about the serious stuff. Harry had just assumed that it was because most of the serious stuff in Astoria's life involved Alexander it was probably either too hard for her to talk about him or she wasn't because she didn't want to hurt Harry's feelings or both. At this point he really wished they would have talked more because it seemed that his girlfriend was being far less honest than she usually was with him and with a fleeting pang of guilt he realized that if it were Ginny he would have known exactly what was wrong with her, they knew each other inside and out, but this was not Ginny. This was Astoria and right now sitting here in this very large room on this very large bed looking quite small she sat, crying as if all of those she loved had just died and he had a hard time believing that it was simply because she missed her ex-boyfriend, who had been gone for nearly eight months now. The pain in her face seemed recent as if she had just realized something or she just found out some bad news.

"Of course I would Harry…" She said into his shirt and they sat there for about twenty minutes, her crying on his shoulder and him wondering exactly what had made her so upset. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke, "Harry?" she asked feebly.

"Hmm."

"Do you believe in destiny? Like fate as in we're all meant to end up some way?"

"That's an interesting question to ask me. I mean of course from me the obvious answer would be yes because my whole life has been ruled by a prophecy that had been made before I was even born. But in a way I feel like we can also choose our own destiny. Like if I didn't want to I just wouldn't have tried to kill Voldemort." He couldn't believe she was asking him this. It was as if they never talked at all which he knew wasn't true. They may not have talked much about her past but his life had been an open book to everybody who cared to pick up a newspaper. For the past months after Voldemort's demise it seemed that every detail about his life at Hogwarts had come out. From his battle in the Chamber of Secrets to the fact that Sirius Black was in fact and innocent man who he had grown very close to (as he was his godfather). The Wizarding world would stop at nothing to learn all they could about the famous Harry Potter, even if they had to ruin his privacy. So it was not a surprise that within a month the whole world knew everything about the prophecy, the horcruxes and the hallows.

"Oh,"

"Why? Why so interested in destiny?"

"Because I'm afraid ours has already been shaped for us."

"What?"

And today I will trust you with the confidence

Of a man who's never known defeat

But tomorrow, upon hearing what I did

I will stare at you in disbelief

Oh, inconsistent me

Crying out for consistency

Not very far from there another couple were also meeting up. They hadn't seen each other all day as they had classes and rounds to do because they were of course the Head Boy and Head Girl, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. They met in her room, as Draco knew that Astoria would probably be in his since it was late. Hermione's room was not somewhere he was entirely used to as they had not done much more than made out and they usually hung out in the common room or other places throughout the school. It was a rare occasion when Draco would be in Hermione's bedroom. He would never admit this to her because he didn't want to hurt her feelings but being around all that red and gold really made him want to run back to the comforts of his green and silver bedroom. Nevertheless there they were in Hermione's bedroom. Studying as it were because They had a few essays due the following week and even though it was Friday Hermione was always the girl to get started early on homework. It was perhaps one of the things that had attracted Draco to her in the first place. He would find himself in awe of all that she could accomplish in only a few hours. To say that she was the smartest witch in their year had been an understatement, she was brilliant for any age, even much older and more accomplished witches. She also knew about boys, having grown up with two male best friends and she knew what to expect with Draco, she never pushed him to do something he didn't want to and she never talked to him about stuff he found dull and boring. She always had something new to discuss or share with him and he had to admit it was a change from the ridiculous bore that was Pansy Parkinson (who until last year he hated to say he would have possibly dated, only to appease his parents of course). She was different and Draco could tell and this was why he chose to treat her so differently. For example they were taking things slow, he knew she wasn't a virgin but he still didn't feel right sleeping with her right of the bat, knowing that this was how he would have treated any girl and to him she was just so different that it did not make sense to treat her the same.

"Draco could you pass me that book on cheering charms?" Hermione asked as she looked up from the essays she had been meticulously writing on her bed. Draco who had been sitting at her desk quickly picked the top book of the pile and threw it towards Hermione, who caught it but only just before it almost tipped and fell to the floor.

"Nice catch!"

"Well not everybody can be a seeker like you. Really Draco couldn't you have just walked to the bed and placed the book neatly beside me?"

"I suppose I could have but really there is no fun in that and I wouldn't be able to be sitting here right now laughing at you and how upset you've got over a silly book. Did you ever notice that when you get really angry your left eyebrow arches? Just a little." He said through not so manly giggles.

"No but do you know what I did notice?"

"What?"

"You, being hit in the head with a pillow!" She said as she pulled the pillow out from under her essay, very carefully, and hit him full on in the face. He didn't even know it was coming so he had no time to brace himself as he fell not so gracefully out of the desk chair. He retaliated by finding a spare pillow at the head of the bed while Hermione had been making sure her essay was grammatically correct she never seemed to notice her grey eyed boyfriend sneaking around her to the headboard of the bed and grabbing the two pillows that lay there. In fact it wasn't until she was hit from both angles did she realize just what she had gotten herself into.

"ARGGG" she said as she was catching her breath, "DRACO! That's not fair you caught me unaware!"

"So? You caught me completely unaware, at least you may have thought that I might possibly want some form of retaliation. Or did you think I would just let this one slide? You know me better than that Granger."

"Do I Malfoy?" Even though It had been months since they actually referred to each other as their surnames once in a while they would playfully resort back to them, both knowing that they never carried the same amount of venom as before. A very large very long pillow fight then commenced with him hitting her about two times until she was able to finally retaliate but once she did she had him cornered for a good twenty minutes until he finally came out from behind her wardrobe door but not before popping her on the head with yet another pillow he had conjured from seemingly nowhere. At one point She had called a truce but only because when he grabbed to kiss her and make up she got him again this time with two pillows one on his back and one in the head and it was then that all hell broke loose. During one interesting moment he was chasing her all around the room while she was holding up a white flag she has made with a pillowcase claiming it was over and she had no more power left. He only believed her because he could tell she was loosing speed. They settled down back on her bed. She lay in his arms as he closed his eyes in rest because that pillow fight had taken a lot out of him.

"Granger, I never knew you had it in you. Congratulations. Welcome to the Dark side."

"Oh come on, you don't think we Gryffindors had our fair share of pillow fights up in our tower?"

"Of course you did but some of your moves were let's just say, dirtier than I would have expected from a perfect little Gryffindor."

"Maybe I'm full of surprises." She said as she turned towards him and kissed him. They proceeded to kiss and explore each other for the greater part of the next hour until she broke away finally for some air. "Stay with me tonight." She pleaded.

"Come on Hermione you know I can't."

"Why? Seriously I want this ok, its not you pressuring me, or me pressuring me. Its what I want. I want you."

"Its not that, gods no, Its just…well its Astoria." Hermione hadn't been expecting that. In fact it took her so off guard that she quickly pulled herself off of him and to a seated position on the bed. ; Thinking for a moment about why on earth her boyfriend would bring up his best friend who so happened to be female at a time like this. "She needs me." He finished.

Of course that was what he meant. Astoria hadn't slept alone since Alexander died. Preferring to share a bed with her best friend who happened to be Hermione's boyfriend. It hadn't bothered her much up until now. She understood that loosing someone like that especially at such a young age could be traumatizing. However at this moment she couldn't help but realize the jealousy that was rising in her. "She needs you, or you need her?"

"It's not like that and you know it Hermione. I'm with you, I chose you." Hermione couldn't help the sinking feeling forming at the pit of her stomach. The one that told her that if he truly had a choice he would have chosen Astoria over her.

And you said I know that this will hurt

But if I don't break your heart then things will just get worse

If the burden seems too much to bear

Remember

The end will justify the pain it took to get us there

"What do you mean Astoria?" Harry repeated not bothering to cover up the pain and confusion in his voice. He had tried year after year but he just had to accept that he was Harry Potter, the boy that held his emotions on his sleeve.

She pulled herself to a seated position before pulling her legs towards her body for comfort before saying the words he had so dreaded to hear," I don't think we're meant to be"

"How can you say that? After all that we've been through together?" It was true in their three-month relationship they went through everything a couple might not even go through in three years. They had mended each other's broken hearts and dealt with the reporters together. It was not a small story when Harry Potter, savior to the Wizarding world had started dating Astoria Greengrass, youngest daughter and second heir to the Greengrass fortune. They were a tabloid cover story in the making. And now it seemed that none of that mattered to her, that she was going to throw it all away for some stupid idea called fate.

"It's not new, I've been thinking about it for the past week. About how you were with Ginny before you left to search for the Horcruxes. You loved her once Harry I know you did, and she still loves you. She puts on a brave front for me but I know she misses you each and every night."

"Don't bring Ginny up, just don't! This isn't about her. This shouldn't be about her, this relationship involves you and me and if your choosing to end it you need to have a reason other than the fact that my ex girlfriend couldn't get over me because in case you haven't noticed, I don't care!" He shouted back at her.

"Its not about that Harry! It's about how you haven't been able to get over her! Every day when you look at me I can tell what your thinking, ' She's not Ginny' and your right Harry I'm not and I never will be. I don't want to be second to anyone and you shouldn't want to accept the second best of anything."

"But Astoria you're amazing and I have such a good time with you, what would make you believe your just second best to me?"

"Because I can see it in your eyes Harry. When you talk about Ginny or if she walks by, you miss her more than anything. I know that feeling, I've felt it when I look at old pictures of Alexander or when somebody mentions him." Harry could tell that she was trying her hardest to look him in the eyes while she said those words, as if to reiterate the fact that she wasn't Ginny and he wasn't Alexander.

"You want to bring him up? Ok, lets talk about how you still cry yourself to sleep every night thinking about him! Draco's told me all about it. About how the very night I asked you out you went running straight to him asking him if he thought it was ok, as if you needed permission. ALEXANDER CAPULET IS GONE ASTORIA! He's not coming back; you need to figure that out. I have. You don't see me sitting around crying because of my parents, because I've figured it out. Wishing for somebody that's gone does nothing but waste time." He knew he had made a mistake the second the words came out of his mouth but in a strange way, he didn't regret saying them. She needed to know. It had taken him fifteen years to figure out that his parents wouldn't return to pick him up from the Hogwarts Express and take him back to that cottage in Godric's Hollow. What he regretted was the look on her face when he spoke those words. It was as if it had finally hit her; That Alexander was gone and that he wasn't coming back. It was reminiscent of the look he had when Nearly Headless Nick told him that Sirius wouldn't have become a ghost, that he would have gone on. In that moment he also knew something else. She was right. They were not meant to be and every night he had thought about Ginny and what it would be like to go back to her, fearing that too much had happened and he would never be able to.

"So, this is it then?" Harry asked still with anger in his voice. She was right but he didn't want her to know he felt that way.

"No Harry, its not 'it', we can still be friends. We have to still be friends." She pleaded with him.

"I'm not so sure Astoria. You've held all these feelings back from me and that's not something that friends do. They trust each other and tell each other everything even if they think they might be hurting the other person and see, what you did to me was a betrayal. You deliberately lied to me. You lied when I asked if you ever thought about Alexander or when I asked you if everything was ok. I can't take betrayal Astoria. I can't take liars. I've been lied to so many times in my life." He said with finality.

"Please you have to understand. I didn't want this to end this way. I thought that you would figure out that you still loved Ginny. You have to believe I truly do love spending time with you. I wanted things to work out, I wanted to forget him and I wanted to fall in love with you. But you can't mess with destiny." She said through, if possible, even thicker tears.

Harry finally turned his back and walked to the door but not before mumbling, "No I guess you can't, Good-bye Astoria." She broke down one last time following him to the door, wanting him to turn around and say he had been kidding and this whole thing had been a joke; That he understood and she was right, he did love Ginny and they were better off as friends, but he never did turn around. He walked out of her room down the stairs and out of the Heads common room. In fact he walked so fast that he never did catch her last words to him.

"I hope someday you can forgive me Harry Potter."

And I'll let it be known

At times I have shown

Signs of all my weakness

But somewhere in me

There is strength

Hermione backed away from Draco at that sentence, wishing with all her heart that she believed the words he said. The truth was that she just couldn't, she had known all those years that he had pined after Astoria and she knew that there was no way a person could get over love like that so quickly. She knew that no matter how hard she fought in the end Draco Malfoy would always be head over heels in love with Astoria Greengrass.

"Then go, it's late and I am certainly not keeping you. Astoria will be waiting." Hermione only said this so that she could prolong what she knew she had to do. She thought maybe if she would get him angry enough he would do it for her. She didn't think she could actually say the words herself.

"Hermione, please, I don't want to go to bed fighting. I want us to work this out."

"Draco, there is nothing to work out. Is she still sleeping in your bed?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell her to leave?"

"No. I just can't."

"Well then, we are where we are. There is nothing to talk about." She was really having a hard time at this point. It was as if he just wouldn't get angry. She was sitting there about to blow up in anger and was sitting there calm as a cucumber and completely unaware of what lay just under the surface of the Gryffindor.

"You can't just say that, there must be something we can discuss. I hate knowing that over here your upset with me, I hate knowing that I've disappointed you in some way." She could tell he really meant it and that's what made it so horrible for her. That here he was, Draco Malfoy King of Slytherin basically begging at her feet for some for of forgiveness and she knew she couldn't truly give it to him. She didn't forgive him. Every night she sat up in her bed wondering what he was doing with another good just feet away, it was not something she thought she could ever forgive. Yet she didn't want to have to part with him. There was something about Draco Malfoy that drove her wild and she didn't want to have to leave him behind just yet.

"I'm fine, we'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

"That's a lie and you know it."

"Do you want to know the truth?"

"Yes, what more do you want me to say to convince you?" It was then that Hermione knew what she had to do. She knew that he would never do it and that she had to if she ever wanted to be happy with herself again. If she let things go on the way they were she knew that years from now she would come to regret that decision. She knew he would too. So with a heavy heart she turned to him and said the words she had been holding back for the last few months.

"I don't think this is going to work out Draco. I just can't do this anymore."

"Where is this coming from Hermione?" She couldn't face him as he practically screamed the words at her. She didn't want to look him in the eyes because she didn't want him to see the regret in hers.

"It's not coming from nowhere Draco. You must have realized. How are you going to truly commit to me and still go and sleep in a bed with another girl every night? It doesn't work out that way. I didn't want to give you an ultimatum so I chose for you. You don't need me; you don't truly love me more than her. If you did than you would have let her go. You would have told her that it was important for us that she slept in her own bed. But you didn't and I understand now, you love her. Its ok, I've figured it out." She couldn't believe that she actually let herself get all that information out. Looking back she had gotten the words out rather fast, as if she only had about a second before she changed her mind about the whole thing.

"I don't love her, those are just rumors."

"You and I both knew that those were never really rumors."

"I'm not with her. I'm with you."

"Not anymore Draco, and I think maybe you should go now." It was then that everything seemed entirely too real to her. She had finally realized that things would never have been how she wanted them to. That he was letting her go to easily and if he had felt how she wanted him to he would have been pleading with her to stay. He would have given up Astoria for her but he didn't, he let Hermione say good-bye and was more than willing to say good-bye right back.

"Whatever. Maybe I'll see you around." He sounded angry but she knew it was just a façade. She knew that in about a week he would walk up to her in the library asking for help on homework or even just to talk. Either way, he walked out, through the bathroom and into his room. She sat on her bed and proceeded to let out all the tears she had been holding back in those moments.

And you promise me

That you believe

In time I will defeat this

Cause somewhere in me

There is strength

Astoria sat up abruptly when she heard Draco come storming into the room. She tried to dry her eyes quickly. She didn't want him to know how upset she had actually been when she broke up with Harry. She hated knowing how much Draco worried about her and knew that if he saw her like this he would be beside himself and he would more than likely try to go after Harry. She also knew that Harry would never tell Draco what really happened. Harry would probably never tell himself what really happened. Years would go on and Harry would try his hardest not ever to think about that night. Even when he and Ginny got back together, he was too embarrassed to go back to Astoria to tell her that she had been right after all and he had always missed Ginny. Years later when he married Ginny he knew that she had invited Astoria to the wedding. She and Ginny were still good friends but it was something that Ginny and he just didn't talk about. He saw her too, for only about a second at the reception, looking beautiful as always and if it hadn't been for his pride he might have gone up to her to tell her so.

"What happened?" Astoria asked Draco, surprised that he would storm in like that. He was usually the picture of calmness.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Was his reply as he undressed and got into bed next to her. They lay for what seemed like hours. She was busy thinking about what could have gotten him so angry and he was busy thinking about if Hermione had been right all along. Had he really not gotten over Astoria? After a few minutes he snaked his arm around her waste and drew her towards him. It didn't surprise her because they used to always sleep close like that. When he started dating Hermione she had moved to her own side of the bed feeling bad that they would be so close when he had a girlfriend. That was the only reason she was alarmed at his touch.

"What about Hermione?" she asked.

"She dumped me. She thought I was in love with you. Can you believe that?" the truth was that yes she could. She had had a feeling throughout the school year that Draco had become increasingly more and more infatuated with her. She tried to push those thoughts away because she felt that if she tried anything with Draco it might be betraying Alexander. She would never tell anybody this but she had always had a crush on both Draco and Alexander. If Alexander hadn't asked her out first she may have dated Draco for all of those years.

"Yea, funny." She sat while she turned around to face him. "I finally did it tonight. I broke it off with Harry; I just didn't think it was fair to him or Ginny. They deserve each other and I just felt like I was standing in their way."

"It sucks being alone." Draco said after realizing what he had just heard.

"We're not alone, we have each other." She said as she looked into his eyes. "We've always had each other."

"Yea, no matter what. It seems that in the end it'll always be just you and me."

"Like destiny." Before she knew it he was kissing her. This wasn't the first time they had kissed. That had happened years ago when they were thirteen. This wasn't even the first time this year; they had taken out their sadness in each other and sadness usually always led to passion. This time it was different. Before all their kisses were filled with lust and anger, this one was filled with love and passion. She knew he felt it to because he kept kissing her and this time with more passion. It wasn't before long that she was on top of him, only their undergarments between them. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, "are you sure?" she asked.

"Its not like we haven't before." This was true, as they had also done what they were about to when they were about fourteen, for both of their first times. They had also been exploring that route of passion that school year before they had their respective significant others. That was all it took for the undergarments to disappear and they made love until they forgot what had happened with Harry and Hermione, well into the night.

And today I will trust you with the confidence

Of a man who's never known defeat

And I'll try my best to just forget

That that man isn't me

Harry Potter kept his promise to Astoria Greengrass. He never spoke to her again. It was years later and he was sitting at his kitchen table, his young son James running around beneath his feat as he read the daily prophet. A very pregnant Ginny had busied herself making breakfast, being an amazing cook just like her mother. He flipped through the pages reading about what was going on in the Wizarding world. There was the birth announcement for Ron and Hermione's daughter Rose. A few months after her breakup with Draco she had seen Ron one night at the leaky cauldron. They hadn't spoke for weeks and she felt so horrible about it that she ran up to him and apologized for everything. Ron never really did get over the fact that she had dated Draco Malfoy but he had accepted that Malfoy had changed and that it was the evil tyrant of a death eater than Hermione had been with.

They had married about two years ago and had been overjoyed to find out nine months ago that Hermione was pregnant. They were even happier to find out seven months ago that Ginny was also pregnant and the new cousins would be able to start Hogwarts together. Hermione had given birth to a healthy baby girl, Rose about a week ago and later that day the Potter family was going to visit Hermione when she returned from St. Mungos. Harry didn't like to travel with Ginny so pregnant but there was no way that Ron was bringing his five day old daughter to Harry's house, he had gotten very protective in the week he had been a father. And so they decided it would just be best for the Potters to visit the Weasleys and not vice versa. Even through all of this he couldn't believe how different life was now. He was a father and he was the head of the Auror department at the Ministry. Kingsley had been made Minister of Magic much to every wizard and witch's approval. Finally the Wizarding world truly seemed at peace. In such a good mood Harry chose to skip over the page in the daily prophet that showed pictures of the death eaters they had yet to capture, even years after the war was over. In fact he was so distracted with getting through the prophet that he almost missed a large article on the back of the 'most wanted' page.

**"Draco Malfoy weds Astoria Greengrass in a lavish wedding at the Malfoy Manner." **Harry couldn't help himself and read on, "Yes this is it ladies Draco Malfoy most eligible bachelor is in fact off the Market. We all knew this was coming when we announced six months ago that Astoria was pregnant with the Malfoy Heir's child. Yet some girls still held out hope. 'The wedding was beautiful, really like a fairy tale and its true what they say about pregnant women because Astoria who is usually nothing short of beautiful was actually glowing' a close family friend tells the prophet exclusively, 'its strange that it took them this long, I mean they have been dating since Hogwarts." It was with that line that Harry decided he didn't need to read the rest of the article. He had known that not long after they had broken up Draco and Astoria were seen walking hand in hand throughout Hogwarts. Harry tried to never pay attention and then spring came, Hermione graduated and Harry never had to see Astoria again. He also knew that Ginny still kept in touch with Astoria and wondered why she wouldn't even mention that Astoria had had a wedding and why had she not gone? It was then that he realized that two weeks ago, Ginny said she was going for a girl's night with Hermione. He checked the date on the prophet and it came to him that they had really been at the wedding.

"Ginny, was there something you forgot to tell me?" he asked her as he held up the paper for her to see.

"Oh yea, well Astoria and Draco got married and she's due in a few months just like me! Maybe it slipped my mind." She replied trying to sound like it made perfect sense to not tell her husband that one of her closest friends had gotten married and was expecting a child.

"Slipped your mind, eh?"

"Come on Harry, you don't like hearing me talk about her, so I've just stopped. I thought it would be better this way." Harry knew that Ginny was never jealous of Astoria; she knew that Astoria had dumped him because he was still in love with Ginny. This was why he knew she probably wasn't lying.

"It would have been fine for you to tell me information like that. I mean she and I were friends, and how awkward would it be if I saw Draco at work and didn't know he had gotten married?" Draco had become an Auror too after the war, saying that he wanted to do anything to bring down the wizards that had made his life terrible.

"Well I guess you would have noticed the ring on his finger." Harry couldn't help but laugh at this knowing that Ginny really meant no harm.

"Next time, could you give me a heads up before you go to a wedding, especially the one of my ex-girlfriend and ex-enemy? Ron doesn't know does it?"

"Course he does, you think he would let Hermione out of the house while she was nine months pregnant without him. He was there." Harry knew this shouldn't upset him like it did to hear that. He had made the decision that night that he didn't and wouldn't ever care about Astoria again. He realized now that he was lying to himself. She was his friend weather he liked it or not and he would always care about her, even if it was just as friends. "I hope your Happy Astoria," he whispered to the picture of the newlyweds in the paper. The family friend wasn't lying, Astoria looked amazing.

Reach out to me

Make my heart brand new

Every beat will be for you

For you

And I know you know

You touched my life

When you touched my heavy heart and made it light

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A/N: as an Ataris fan it was SO HARD to not put the line "so long Astoria" in there, and yes I realize his last name is Capulet. There was a Montague in Slytherin and I like to imagine that there still is a rivalry. I'm an actress people, its in my blood. Deal with it.


End file.
